Hawaii aquarium trade impacts

Millions of reef animals are taken from Hawaii's nearshore reefs for sale in the marine aquarium hobby. This presentation details the impacts and advocates for ending the use of coral reef wildlife in the marine aquarium trade and hobby.

Property values within 100 meters of the coast. 1.5% of sale price attributable to marine ecosystem

2X under and non-reporting factored in

So while they claim to be model citizens, clearly it’s not the case.

All species taken are native but 45% are also endemic.

Kona Coast

A tropical fish collector from Oahu flew to Kauai for a collecting trip in Aug. 2010, wherehe found, collected and sold a Masked Angelfish for $6500.A month later he flew back to capture more, but died from dive related injuries.

DLNR/NOAA 2010 reportTrade is taking 80% of paku’ikui living in the 30 – 60 ft. range

Dive operator who took this photo reported it was the first Teardrop they’d seen on this reef in years…

The farther the destination from Hawaii, the more that arrive dead. These death rates would never be tolerated for any other animal in the pet trade.

Reasons why premature deaths matter (Wood, 2001):1. Every fish that dies early puts extra pressure on natural resources because of the take of replacements. There is a general consensus in many countries that it is not ethical to trade in live animals, unless their health and welfare are ensured, Unnecessary and early deaths give the trade a poor image.

These all occur on at least one trade list of animals unsuitable for the hobby or having high death rates/being very difficult to keep alive.

Stress, injury disease and early death result from these practices.Flame Angel image from Marshall Islands import where it’s not uncommon for 100% of the shipment to arrive dead and average DOA is ~40% per Secretariat of the Pacific

harvesting purely for economic gain, the inhumane treatment, high mortality and needless waste violates this core traditional Hawaiian value.What has been called a user conflict, to be resolved by dividing the reefs into collected vs. protected areas, was a band-aid measure that has failed to address the underlying issues that won’t be solved with set asides.

If action will likely have significant environmental effect, an assessment must be conducted prior to the activity

It is our kuleana to care for what is Hawaii&apos;s.Our responsibility to care for them doesn&apos;t end once they&apos;re scooped up and shipped off. Mainland consumer demand should not trump what is best for Hawaii’s wildlife and reefs. DAR is proposing additional management measures, agreed to in the compromise over a decade ago, but, to date, successfully stalled by the trade. One, called a “white list”, would limit the number of species taken from over 250 to just 40. It is part of a rule package currently being reviewed by the AG.The other is a program to cap the number of permits which DAR hopes would also reduce the number of collectors. This measure has been pulled from the rule package.Both would actually make matters worse: Common sense says that by focusing efforts onto fewer species, the “white list” will accelerate depletion of those 40 species, just as focusing collection efforts onto fewer areas has harmed those areas. Capping permits would do little to reduce the impacts &amp; concerns. Florida is a good example for us showing that despite a 50% reduction in the number of licenses issued since 1994, aquarium take is up 10-fold, and has prompted some scientists to issue a collapse warning.

Sample only: all 40 species on the white list have similar issues: over 1/2 are known as especially poor survivors in captivity, making it a few months at best before dying; over 1/3 are species unique to Hawaii and considered by DLNR as highly threatened by the trade; and others already show declining populations.

Hawaii aquarium trade impacts

1.
The Case for Ending Hawaii‟s Reef Wildlife Trade A Review of the Impacts“…fish left on the reef benefit the reef, as well as Hawaii’s economy.” -March 2008 Legislative findings by the Hawai`i State Senate in SB 3225 ForTheFishes.org October 2011

2.
In Hawaii, it’s illegal to take rocks from the ocean. Corals are fully protected, too.But coral reef wildlife is taken in limitless numbers. Their populations are collapsing. 2

3.
History1953:Aquarium collecting permits required(trade focused on Oahu)1973:Concerns about impacts promptsadministration to issue a moratoriumon collecting.Moratorium lifted two days prior tocommencement to allow for studies.1977:Environmental Quality Commissionand DLNR asked if EIS required.EQC: EIS may be appropriateDLNR: not necessary 3

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What happens to reefs that lose too many herbivores? 80% of fish collected are herbivores. “…[herbivore ] removal can result in algal overgrowth of coral and catastrophic shifts in the ecosystem.” -2007 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Working Group 12

13.
Harm to Reef StructureCoral is broken and damaged when:• Nets entangle it when set or retrieved• Material is laid over it to block access to refuge• Sticks are hit against it to herd fish into nets or out of hiding• Collectors kneel, kick, and lay equipment on it• Collectors break it apart to get at hiding fish Collection vessel anchored in Kohala coast coral 2/15/11. Collector‟s bucket and scooter in the coral 2/15/11. (DLNR, 1998; Stevenson, 2011) 13

14.
Where Have All The Fish Gone? “Severe overfishing for the aquarium trade exists even in the United States.*” The equivalent of 1 reef animal every 23 seconds is taken by the trade. That‟s about ~6.3 million animals since 2007. To the*What Do We Know About Coral Reefs, International Trade in Coral Reef Animals and mainland…the Urgent Need for Action?, U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. 12

17.
45% Top 20 Collected Species are Endemic Endemism: the ecological state of being unique to a placeAt 23 percent, Hawaii‟s reefs have the highest rate of endemism on Earth. Precious natural legacy 17

24.
The First Sighting in Years… Captured!A fish collector takes a Teardrop Butterflyfish from Black Point Caves on Feb. 15, 2011. 24

25.
Yellow Tang Population Impact Gap caused by ~30 collectors Collectors have decreased the population by additional 45%Green line represents the 65% of West Hawaii since closures coastline open to collecting 25

26.
What Drives Collection Rates?• Premature Deaths • Up to 40% of Hawaii‟s wildlife dies before reaching the hobbyist. • 50% of Hawaii‟s Top 20 fish ARE NOT guaranteed to arrive alive when purchased through online retailers. • Hobbyist Drop Out • The average hobbyist drops out within a year. • Deaths caused by beginner hobbyists are “astronomical”. 26

27.
How Long Can Fish Live? On a reef: Waikiki Aquarium:Yellow Tangs can live for 40+ years Potter‟s Angel: 14 years(Bushnell & Claisse, 2007) Sailfin Tang: 15 yearsBluespine unicornfish can achieve 58.(HI Div. of Aquatic Resources) Raccoon Butterflyfish: 22 yearsParrotfish: at least 33(Choat & Robertson 2002) (Randall and Delbeek, Sept. 2009, from a list of species that lived from 13 – 24 years at the Waikiki Aquarium.) Wildlife taken for the hobby: 20 years ago: “Virtually none (<1%) live more than a year in captivity.” * 2009: “These numbers have improved slightly in the last several years...” *** Fenner, 2011; ** Fenner, 2009 27

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High Mortalities  Short Captive Life-spans  Unsuitable Species50% of Hawaii‟s top 20 species are sodifficult to keep alive they appear on tradelists of species unsuitable for the averageaquarist or the hobby, in general. “The term „unsuitable species‟ means species that are unlikely to survive shipment or captivity for a considerable proportion of their potential lifespan.” (MAC 2001; Sadovy 2002) 28

30.
Practices Contributing to Early Death Fins and spines are cut to avoid packing in layers.Swim bladders pierced for faster surfacing Handling removes protective mucous coating Fish starved for 2 – 10 days prior to shipment. Starvation continues throughout the Exposure to air for just a few seconds chain of custody. takes 30 days for full recovery 30

38.
How Can You Help?1) Donate to support our efforts.2) Tell the Governor and state lawmakers that you support a ban.3) Spread the word – many people are unaware of the trade and it‟s impacts.4) Sign up for Action Alerts!5) Ask aquarium owners to stop buying wild caught animals. Learn more on our website Please support efforts to keep Hawaii’s wildlife on Hawaii’s reefs. Together we can make a difference! 38